Iraq war,seb adn melvin
ModifyDeleteMove THE IRAQ WAR thumb|300px|right|Iraq War Raw Combat Footage An Occupation "War on Terror" Iraq was invaded in 2003 by a coalition force led by the United States, backed by the UK, Australia and Poland. The invasion was seen as a reaction to the 911 incident in 2001, after which the West declared war on terrorism and sought to root out all terrorists in the Middle East. The war was undertaken based on 'intelligence' that Iraq possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction which were to be used to pursue terrorist ends. After the invasion, and confirmation that there were no WMDs in Iraq in 2005, the war turned into an occupation, in which the Coalition forces sought to establish a working democratic regime after toppling Saddam Hussein. Causes of the War The official justification of the invasion as provided by the United States is three-pronged: 1.Saddam Hussein was sponsoring terrorism, specifically Al Qaeda, which was responsible for the 911 attacks 2.Iraq was producing Weapons of Mass Destruction (alleged nuclear, chemical and biological weapons which were never found) 3.Returning freedom to the Iraqi people The trigger of the invasion was Iraq's 'failure to disarm itself of WMDs, thus posing an imminent threat to world peace. Other reasons: It is widely alleged that the US and Britain invented these baseless accusations so as to secure Iraq for strategic reasons: think OIL! Consequences of the War On the US and UK: 1.Enormous costs 140,000 troops, over 845 billion USD and 4.5 billion pounds, with total cost to the US economy estimated at 3 trillion USD 2.Loss of credibility and political capital 3.Strong domestic and international opposition to the war 4. Insufficient troops led to the hiring of Blackwater (now known as Xe Services LLC) led to multiple scandals regarding soldier conduct in Iraq In Iraq: 1.Instability and violence due to frequent insurgencies and suicide bombings 2.Humanitarian crisis and human rights abuses Iraqi commanders now claim they can handle security on their own after six years of occupation and learning from American troops. What's Going On Now? Impending Withdrawal of Troops Obama has drawn up a timetable for the graudal withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. He hopes to withdraw 70,000 soldiers by August 2010, leaving a force of only 50,000 for another year. So far, withdrawal of troops has led to increased violence on the ground. The Iraq Inquiry An official public inquiry in the United Kingdom commenced in July this year. It will look at events between 2001 and 2009, covering the decision to go to war, whether troops were properly prepared, how the conflict was conducted and what planning there was for its aftermath. Areas that will be covered early on include the development of UK policy towards Iraq between 2001 and 2003 and UK-US relations over the period. Much of the focus will be on the intelligence available on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and its influence on decisions taken by ministers as well as events at the UN in the run-up to war, including the negotiation of UN Security Resolution 1441. This found Iraq in breach of the terms of the ceasefire agreement which ended the First Gulf War and gave it a "final opportunity" to disarm and co-operate with weapons inspectors or face "serious consequences". More information on this controversial inquiry can be found at its official website: http://www.iraqinquiry.org.uk/ File:Bush iraq surge.jpg